Portland Timbers quotes
Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter
Overall thoughts on the match…
“Ultimately, I thought that we played well enough to get three points. It’s disappointing. The mentality was there to start the game. Our organization was there overall. I didn’t feel like Colorado (Rapids) created much at all, until they scored the goal. The goal that they scored was I thought a mistake on our part, allowing Marlon Hairston to get in behind. We have to be able to stop him there. Obviously Sebastien Le Toux found some space on the end of the cross as well. But, other than that they didn’t have much. That’s what makes this result so tough to swallow because it felt like it was there for the taking. We played well enough in the first half to score a goal. This is kind of the way it’s gone for us. When you look at the overall play and you look at the game, it’s not like you feel Colorado looked like the better team. But, it comes down to making plays. It comes down to moments, I always say. We’re not making those plays to get the three points. Ultimately, you have to make those individual plays to win games.”
On Diego Valeri’s performance…
“I thought he was very unlucky not to score. Tim Howard made a really good save on his shot. He hit the post on another, and that’s kind of the way the season has gone. We’ve had numerous of those same exact moments. You have to make your own luck, ultimately, but we also haven’t gotten many breaks. I think this is another game where we didn’t get any breaks to go our way. That’s why we’re falling short. That’s why we’re where we’re at. When you look at the first half, we’re on the road, we were the better team. I think anybody that watched the game will say that and agree with it. Then, in the start of the second half, it started to be a little bit more even, but they still weren’t creating many chances at all. But we fall short because we don’t make a few plays.”
On what makes it difficult to break down Colorado at home…
”I just think that they’re a team that grinds, they’re organized defensively. Obviously, today they finished their chance. They didn’t have many. We had some chances, so it wasn’t like we couldn’t create, but it helps when you have Tim Howard in goal because I think it gives them the confidence to stay in every game and when there is a save to be made he makes it. I think they have kind of that feeling, that aura that has built from the start of the year. I think a lot of times winning comes down to that, that confidence more than anything. Because, again, when you look at the game, and when I go through it and dissect it, I won’t be disappointed with my team overall and what they did. I’ll feel like we deserve more, and I’ll feel like Colorado was okay. But, they found a way to win and that’s what good teams do. I think they’ve done that all year. They’ve just found a way to win games and grind out points. Sometimes you don’t know how, but they’ve had that belief all year and I think that belief and that confidence is the difference.”
On what the team needs to do to make the playoffs…
“The silver lining is (Sporting Kansas City) KC lost, so gives us some hope still. So, we’re going to go into the next game, obviously we’re at home, we turn around and play Colorado again. If we win that game, KC plays on the road against RSL (Real Salt Lake), we’ll see how things shake out. But, we win and they lose then it sets up the last game, where if we win then we’re in if they don’t get the job done.”
Notes:
- Saturday’s match marked the Timbers' first regular-season loss against the Rapids in the last seven games played between the two teams, dating back to the 2014 MLS campaign.
- The Timbers are now 8-2-3 in regular-season matches during the month of October, dating back to the 2013 season.
- Midfielder Jack Jewsbury played in his 350th MLS regular-season match, becoming the 10th player in league history to reach that milestone.
- Midfielder Ned Grabavoy became the 39th player in MLS history to appear in 300 matches.
- Midfielders Diego Chara and Darlington Nagbe each made their 174th start with the Timbers, ranking tied for the most by any MLS player with a single club since the beginning of the 2011 season.
- Midfielder Diego Valeri registered five shots in the match, becoming the fifth player in MLS to attempt 60 shots during the 2016 season.
